Background information
Recruitment in the French army – Armée de Terre – has become a major issue in recent years. The number of recruits is falling, and in 2023, for the first time in 10 years, the French army did not meet its recruitment quotas. Although careers in the army continue to attract recruits, some sectors are finding it difficult to recruit specialists such as in digital technology, maintenance or intelligence missions, due to preconceived ideas such as the constraints of availability, territorial mobility, family life or pay.
Aware of this gap between civilian and military life, the army needed a trusted medium able to re-establish dialogue with young people, to answer the questions posed by them, and to address this recruitment issue as a whole. Skyrock was the perfect match. Skyrock is a French radio station that primarily targets young adults, with a focus on urban music (including genres like hip-hop, rap, and R&B), maintaining a strong connection with its audience through its dynamic and relevant content.
Strategy and description
From December 2023 to January 2024, using various advertising formats (radio, audio and social media), Skyrock brought in the recruits that the army was looking for. The formats used were the following:
- Radio spots announcing the recruitment campaign and the operation on Skyrock
- A live broadcast on the Twitch streaming platform for more in-depth conversations
- Longer spots (chronicles) covering the highlights of the Twitch broadcast
- Social media posts with video excerpts from the Twitch show (on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat)
- Endorsement of an influencer/content creator
Thanks to its long-standing experience with institutional advertisers (Sécurité Routière, Ministère de l’éducation nationale, minsitère de la santé), as well as with the military*. Skyrock made its entire ecosystem available to best meet the campaign’s ambitious objectives through an innovative mechanism combining its three pillars: Radio x Network x Real.
The most important part was the organization of a dedicated live broadcast on Twitch, where Mrik, one of Skyrock‘s flagship hosts, welcomed an influencer specializing in the military world (Peper, a career soldier with 3 million subscribers on TikTok), as well as members of the army’s recruitment department, to interact and answer viewers’ questions.
Skyrock‘s editorial teams had prepared mini-reports and micro-trottoir questions, which were integrated into the program to facilitate this interaction and enable the speakers to answer the various questions that future recruits might have. It was also a way of giving rhythm to the program and, above all, reassuring the army by reducing the risks inherent in live broadcasting.
In terms of radio activation, the campaign was divided into two phases: before the show, a radio campaign promoted the program to encourage listeners to log on and take part. After the show, the second phase was dedicated to the best moments, broken down into short chronicles broadcasted on Skyrock‘s advertising screens. In this way, they were able to guarantee a level of GRP that is an important criterion for media agencies and advertisers.
Skyrock‘s social networks were put to work to share video footage of the show’s best moments. They were thus able to guarantee the advertiser a high level of contact thanks to the over 24 million subscribers on Skyrock‘s social networks.
A team effort
All Skyrock’s public advertising departments took part in this campaign: the sales department, the marketing department, the media planning department and the social networks department. This innovative campaign also involved the animators, video teams and digital editorial department.
The French army was also supported by dentsu France, its media agency, which played the role of intermediary in this campaign.
Costs
The radio campaign was priced classically with a GRP cost. However, the spots, recorded by the radio hosts, benefited from a preferential position and were therefore marked up. The entire digital campaign, including the live broadcast on Twitch and other social networks, was valued as original production and content creation, in other words, outside of the classic price structure. Skyrock also signed a partnership agreement with the content creator.
Successful results
Skyrock‘s long-term experience in speaking to young audiences, coupled with an innovative campaign, enabled the campaign to far exceed its objectives.
The entire radio activation (112 spots over the period) recorded almost 8 million contacts with the under-25s, reaching almost one in four young people. Nearly one in five young people in France was reached by Army recruitment.
On social networks, the campaign was equally successful, with over 5.1 million videos viewed, more than three times the target set with the French army.
The added value of the campaign is also the result of the endorsement Skyrock offers the advertiser. Only Skyrock can produce this type of campaign, with an innovative, high-impact approach. The trust between Skyrock and its listeners is a precious asset.
“Skyrock is the reference media echo-system for urban culture, serving as a meeting point between the public, artists, and advertisers within a safe ecosystem that values its diversity and creativity.”
* A few years ago, in partnership with the Ministry of the army, Skyrock launched a web radio, named ‘Skyrock Pour Les Militaires’, to strengthen the links between the army and the nation. Available on the Skyrock mobile application, this radio station promotes the work of the army and encourages exchanges between the military and the civilian world.
